Watching Black Mirror's SAN JUNIPERO for the first time! [ REACTION / COMMENTARY ]

[@TerryNationB7]

I love the music choices to hint at what the San Junipero location actually is: C'est La Vie Fake Girlfriend in a Coma Don't You (Forget About Me) Heart and Soul Wishing Well Living in a Box Can't Get You Out of My Head Heaven Is a Place on Earth Who Are You

[@KelseasComments]

Ya the song choices were perfectly on the nose! 🤣

[@jabberwock95]

Honestly having the ending scenes intercut with the credits was a masterstroke. You get the sudden wave of emotion thinking it's going to end unresolved, then the happy ending hits you at the last possible second. Gets me every time.

[@KelseasComments]

Ya it was great!

[@Petothegreatone]

Im a grown man but this made me cry because during the episode it somehow made me reflect my own life and how life is so precious and how you must hold onto loved ones no matter what.

[@KelseasComments]

What a wonderful thing to reflect on. ❤️

[@thetruthseeker3198]

I’m a 32 year old guy and first time I saw this I cried, and watching you cry made me cry again 🤣 it’s a great episode of an amazing series x

[@KelseasComments]

Ugh that proposal I did not see coming and it got me good 😍😭😭😭😭😭😭

[@Tremain]

That brief conversation she has with the nerdy dude at the beginning about that old game kinda foreshadows their future and why they might not end up like all the dead people at the Quagmire. The end is different if you play two player mode.

[@KelseasComments]

🤯 k woah that just blew my mind thank you for that!!!

[@Hey_Jamie]

Two player mode?!

[@julesk2629]

This is the best episode by far. It still leans into the bleakness that Black Mirror is so good at, but also tells a gorgeous and incredible love story.

[@KelseasComments]

Agreed!!!

[@julesk2629]

@@KelseasComments I really loved your review/reaction! You’ve got a new subscriber in me and I can’t wait to see more videos!

[@mojoshivers]

Every time I see this episode it makes me want to watch this episode in full again. This is literally the standout episode of Black Mirror by miles.

[@KelseasComments]

AGREED

[@pnut3844able]

This one and hang the DJ are so good.

[@mojoshivers]

@@pnut3844able Agreed. They’re definitely in my top 3.

[@hannahpumpkins4359]

I was incredibly athletic - a public safety park ranger. Then I got a MRSA/MSSA/Diphtheria infection in my spine from a tiny cut on my 2nd toe - this is where the bacteria entered. I started to feel sick with a fever, a terrible back ache, it was hard to breathe, etc - and I got up from my chair to get a glass of water, and as I walked to the bathroom my legs collapsed under me, I tried to prop myself up with my right arm, but then that collapsed too and I fell over on my right side, unable to move the right half of my body at all. The bacteria destroyed a significant part of my spine; I had septic shock really bad once, which left me with mild brain damage. I had sepsis 2 other times that was caught early, and that left even more cognitive impairment. I was in the hospital for months and months over a period of 3-4 years,. Being in a wheelchair was horrible - so I struggled and finally learned how to walk again, though I can't feel my right leg, and I can use my right arm for things that don't require a lot of strength. I had to learn to use my left hand for many things to compensate for the right one. Because I put a lot of pressure on my right foot now as I walk, I wound up with numerous medical problems in that respect too. The infectious disease doctors keep saying that the infection will return, and this time it will kill me. If there were a San Junipero where I could walk okay, and could read an entire book, and date again then yes, I would definitely want to go now, right now - and I'd never look back.

[@KelseasComments]

Oh WOW. I'm so sorry that happened to you! Sounds so scary!!!

[@j9lorna]

My gf had epilepsy and had been in several comas so the song "girlfriend in a coma" is practically our theme song however, in Jan 2019, I found her unresponsive and with no pulse. She was dead but with CPR and adrenaline, me and the paramedics got her heart going again. The downside is that no heartbeat quickly becomes irreversible brain damage and she is not in a state where she can communicate in any way so San Junipero is a perfect thing for us. This came out before her situation but holy hell it means a lot to me.

[@KelseasComments]

WOW!!! I'm so sorry to both of you.

[@j9lorna]

@@KelseasComments yeah, thanks. It fkn sucked and every day it sucks more. She was 36 years old and we had been together 14 years. We are still together (18 years now) and I cannot even contemplate "moving on".

[@fippywip]

i would definitely choose to stay in san junipero, because like kelly i dont really believe in an afterlife. theres no downside to staying, and if i ever got really sick of it, like yorky said its not a trap and you can easily remove yourself. great reaction ❤

[@KelseasComments]

Ya seems like a totally fair decision, especially if you don't believe in an afterlife!

[@gofastER]

I miss watching this episode for the first time. I come back to it maybe about once a year and it still hits almost as hard though.

[@KelseasComments]

I'm so so so happy it has a happy ending so I can revisit it as much as I want! 🤣

[@Sara88890]

You get so many foreshadowing hints with a second (or more) watch too.

[@dx315]

The soundtrack/score for this episode gets me so bad. It’s so beautiful.

[@KelseasComments]

It's perfect!!!

[@Benjamin-ip5vk]

Literally my favorite episode of Black Mirror ever. I couldn't wait to see your reaction when you realized it was a happy ending 🥲

[@KelseasComments]

Best surprise ever!!!

[@graemesefton7944]

Simply beautiful reactions to an incredible episode..thank you Kelsea!

[@TimoRutanen]

You could consider that right now, you ARE a consciousness on a server. In a human body, on planet Earth, in this universe. Without the extra metacontrol sliders like pain and changing clothes or the year. San Junipero is just .. smaller than Earth. It's a really interesting concept - is that a kind of an afterlife? Would be, in a few hundred years, be able to meet history's great people in there? Imagine meeting Sun Tzu or Albert Einstein or the like.

[@user-lj6hu9cn8k]

hey i'm a huge black mirror fan you seem to be one of the only ones reacting to it recently so definitely subscribing :) this is one of my favorite episodes

[@KelseasComments]

This is the only episode I've done so far! But I've seen about half of them already unfortunately. I'm glad I hadn't seen this one though it was fun to do for the channel! If you like black mirror, have you tried Electric dreams on Amazon prime? Very similar.

[@user-lj6hu9cn8k]

@@KelseasComments oh okay cool yeah I heard you say you seen most episodes , this is definitely one of the best ones! and I have not definitely will check it out thanks :)

[@bloodlake90]

This is one of the few episodes I love that made me ugly cry.

[@KelseasComments]

Agreed!!!

[@seanmcmurphy4744]

For me this is not only the best episode of Black Mirror but the best piece of SF on TV. I cried my eyes out when it came out in 2016 but I still tear up when I rewatch it.

[@Jay32954]

Would I do this? It depends on the life I'd lived up until that point. If I were trapped in a husk of a body, like Yorkey, probably. If I had lived a full life like Kelly, probably not. But my life was somewhere in the middle, so I don't know.

[@Zut0502]

You're right to rejoice in happy fun because there are few in this show. And for once, the message is rather positive. The concept of letting elderly/dying people have the right to live in spirit afterwards is an invention that deserves to exist. Besides, even if it's a sad moment, I really like the monologue that leads them to argue. Which speaks of commitment, and love. I love the fact that she loved her husband despite her attraction to women, her devotion to him. Loving someone is also that. Everyday life with someone, hardships etc...

[@KelseasComments]

Agreed. I loved the way that conversation approached commitment as well. The way she described long term relationship was so amazing.

[@Dan-B]

I’m a raging homo dude, but this episode and the queerness of Mackenzie Davis’s character always has me feeling some kind of way. They did a really great job at making these characters relatable.

[@KelseasComments]

YES THEY DID.

[@ameliaporto]

As selfish as Yorkie were in their discussion I understand her point. To give up her physical form and finally being able to live with the love of her life in contrast with Kelly commiting to reality and make her wait an entire week (which can be a lot for someone in love). The whole episode is very deep and bring a lot of discussions about relationship and compromise. I usually focused in the philosophical and technological ones since they were my area of research :P About the final questions: - Choosing to live in San Junipero is almost like choosing the afterlife; if afterlife were a certainty and concrete option that you could travel to lots of times before you die. Personally my belief of post-death existence is foggy enough for me to make living there as a clear option. Besides: look at that landscape! San Junipero is beautiful lol - I'm not sure if I would visit that much as both protagonists do. Of course I would if I was given the option of living in SJ forever. But if we bring the "real" San Junipero project things got a little more complicate. If the server were shut down, would it be considered mass murder? Would I actually seize to exist, or die? Those questions make my first answer less certain, and I can't stop bringing them because they were discussed in other Black Mirror episodes. I think if a big company was behind all this my final decision would be a big NO. - Ok, the last option: you die, you go to SJ, you can turn yourself off anytime. I think this is the best scenario indeed. To be able to "live" as long as you want to before ending your existence. Kind of remind me The Good Place (great show) but I don't want to get in such details. Oh my, it was a long comment after all hahaha As I said, there are a lot of room to discuss in Black Mirror. I sat for hours with colleagues from TI talking about similar subjects. Btw which one would you choose, Kelsea? I didn't catch your opinion about that. Has it changed since the recording of the video?

[@KelseasComments]

I get Yorkie's point too!! I think she was a little pushy about it in her excitement and wasn't really asking the questions she needed to ask to Kelly. BUT I totally get where she was coming from! So true about the compromise bit! As for me, I think the concept itself sounds amazing and I'd be all for it! But it's when it comes to implementing it in reality that my hang ups arise. Like, as you stated, who is running this? Some company? Who's making money off of it? Also like you said, what happens in the case of a server shut down or something? What are the risks? It's most likely that my answer would end up being no way. I do think I'd participate while alive though if I could! Sounds like a blast, and I'd be all in for trying it out, especially if I were older or unable to enjoy life as I wanted. But uploading there for good in my death seems like a whole other thing. That's where my anxieties would come into play. Such an interesting concept though! and in the perfect scenario, in theory, sounds like heaven! ;) Black Mirror is definitely a conversation starter. It is great at that for sure!

[@steelethescene]

Yorkie is not selfish. Life as she knew it was cut short just out of her teens. Her body aged but she never got to live free - and Kelly, who lived a full life, LEARNS this and still gives her this big lecture. Kelly’s reaction never made sense to me. There’s no way such a “young” person - Yorkie - could truly understand Kelly’s dilemma. I feel like Kelly was really hard on someone who was naive and inexperienced. She never got to live that full life and she ceased to mature emotionally once she wound up utterly dependent. Yorkie’s choice is easy. Kelly’s is more complicated. But she misdirected her anger ... Yorkie didn’t deserve that.

[@vicentegeonix]

​​@@steelethescene no, Yorkie was selfish and no one can't deny that, just because you are a teen doesn'tmean you don't understand or try to understandthe life of other people.

[@chrisS19019]

The first time I saw this I was 21 and it was an emotional moment for me. Watching it at 28 now is very similar.

[@thekatekane]

Awesome episode ❤️

[@KelseasComments]

So good!

[@pnut3844able]

One of my favorite episodes of BM

[@StefanThiesen]

Watched this directly after I watched your KE finale Video. Feels like healing by comparison. There were times when I scoffed at happy endings and corny stuff, also in writing classes. Not long ago I heardy myself saying "Corny can be quite nice, when you are a part of it....". Life often is shitty enough anyway, so happy endings at least for our favorite fictional characters definitely are called for. The KE finale on the other hand caused something akin to a cultural trauma for quite a few people. I think there was even a fan video, a KE Finale San Junipero Version. Something like that. Laura Neal didn't even have to work -- she only would have had to set V&E free and let them do their thing.

[@rg3388]

I love the joke of showing a vintage car commercial that features a product with an anglicized Spanish name, just like the title of this episode.

[@VeraxMusic]

This and Hang the DJ are my two favorites episodes of BM. This one is so melancholic, I'm not sure if I'm ready to watch this again, but maybe I'll watch this reaction version of it.

[@KelseasComments]

Hey at least it ends on a good note THANK GOD 🙌

[@VeraxMusic]

@@KelseasComments Yeah true, let's hope for the same on the Last of Us finale 😐🙏🏾

[@KelseasComments]

SERIOUSLY!

[@lightningmonky7674]

Probably the least cynical episode of black mirror I've seen. I'm not sure what possessed them to make a positive episode but I'm glad they did. And hell yeah I'd sign up after I eventually die

[@ReezeGoingSenseless]

This is like "culture hall of fame" awesome-.

[@squiggle3801]

Peak black mirror for sure! This episode was so good and same goes to every one in season 3

[@maddiebaldwin8095]

God your bangs look so good ahhh!!!!! 🤩

[@KelseasComments]

Ahh thank you!! I cut them myself so that's good to hear. 🤣

[@netwalker-1]

TCKR Systems is... TuCKeRsoft, the company behind the Speccy game: "Bandersnatch"...

[@josiecremona6560]

This is the only acceptable version of the Bury Your Gays trope

[@sam04019491]

Fantastic soundtrack to hint at what’s going on.

[@iwillroam]

Nuh-UH! Get out! You've not seen this? Let me get my coffee!! Since you also love this & Orphan Black you should watch the trailer for The Peripheral. It's on Prime and it's incredible.

[@KelseasComments]

I'll check it out!!!

[@vincentkrommenhoek7431]

I would for 100% be in San Junipero to live forever. You only get 1 chance in life and most of us make many mistakes, like in love and general purpose. You have all the time in the world to find love and maybe a chance to find your talents. But you must have real emotions and feelings and tastes and stuff that are 100% accurate in the simulation. Maybe this is the next step to the evolution of humanity so the earth and nature will go on because humans won't pillage it's resources. Btw, I cry my eyes out every time I watch this episode (seen it 12 times by now) and is the best episode ever of any series in my oppinion. Ps: loved your reaction. If you don't get emotional watching San Junipero, you must have a heart made of stone.

[@KelseasComments]

Ya the benefits to San Junipero are pretty immense!!! And definitely the best black mirror episode in a lot of ways!

[@fiqhonomics]

San Junipero is Cape Town apparently

[@AGLadyBird]

I love Black Mirror so I'm glad you reacted to at least one episode. It is a pity that in the last season it has lost a lot of that particular essence. But well, that's another discussion. I really like this episode, of course it's not my favorite, I think there are many better ones with more impact, like White Christmas and Shut Up And Dance (those episodes are so perfect!). But still it's a great episode, I don't understand why it gets so much hate sometimes, I mean I understand that it's not a typical Black Mirror ending but I like that in this case it's like this. I thought so when I first watched it, but nowadays, after KE and learning about the amount of tragedy that surrounds most of the queer world in shows and movies, I think it makes this "happy ending" even more accurate. As you say, the community is not used to this haha ​​I think that at this point the worst is always expected haha. In any case, we could say that the "happy ending" is subjective because I don't know if it really would be living eternity, right? My first impulse when you asked if we would choose that was to say YES, absolutely. Honestly I didn't live too much, not as I would have wanted, there are many things I would like to experience and it's sad when I think about it haha ​​what I want to say is that something like San Junípero would be a great opportunity, of course. But if I think deeply, I don't know if eternity would be such a good thing. Wouldn't it get very monotonous? Sometimes I get tired of this life, how much more would I do in an eternity? Will my insecurities and fears go away? Wouldn't we miss that "magic" of life itself that makes it special even if we take it for granted? There are many questions that arise, it leaves me thinking a lot and that is why I love this series.

[@beriliumsphere107]

Just enjoy the love

[@vicentegeonix]

I think it was egoistic from the girl to ask her to spend eternity with her when she doesn't even know the person, like what the hell.

[@beriliumsphere107]

Kelly and Yorky DUH

[@KelseasComments]

I'm really really really bad with names in shows it takes me like 80 times for them to stick I don't know why.